In-Person Council Meetings Planning Return To Chatham: Official

CHATHAM, NJ — Chatham Borough’s council has been meeting fully remotely since January when COVID-19 omicron cases starting surging, but may begin moving back to a hybrid format for its Feb. 28 meeting, according to the borough’s administrator.

After switching from a hybrid to a full virtual meeting format beginning with the Jan. 3 reorganization meeting, the council may meet again on Feb. 28 both in-person and by Zoom, Borough Administrator Stephen Williams told Patch in an email statement. At the council’s last meeting on Feb. 14, Mayor Thaddeus Kobylarz said he was “cautiously optimistic” about the drop in the COVID-19 daily infection numbers.

Williams said there will likely be restrictions for in-person seating at the Feb. 28 meeting, as there has been for in-person council meetings in the pandemic. It will be “first come, first admitted” to the meeting, with a 25-person cap on attendees, he said, a limit that has been imposed for all-in person meetings during the pandemic. Mask-wearing will additionally be mandatory at the meeting, said Williams.

The council — as it has since the pandemic began in March 2020 — will maintain a virtual component, Williams said.

The Feb. 28 meeting date is one when the council aims to provide an update to the public about the Post Office Plaza redevelopment project. At the Feb. 14 meeting, Kobylarz said during his mayor’s update, he had not been able to speak about the redevelopment project with the public because of “multi-party confidential discussions.”

The council has a special meeting scheduled on Tuesday that heads into executive session after the meeting opens, to discuss pending affordable housing litigation and attorney client privileged advice regarding affordable housing and any other matters that can lawfully be discussed in closed session," according to the special meeting information and agenda.

For agendas, minutes and video connections to Chatham Borough council meetings, click here.

Borough hall, which was closed to public access beginning Jan. 3 after the rise in omicron cases, fully reopened to the public on Feb. 2, said Williams.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.